When it comes to social media’s favorite grandmas, Barbara Costello (better known as Brunch with Babs) tops the list. From throwing the ultimate party to household organizing tips, her platform is a popular hub for hosting, cooking, and cleaning, across all generations. And this Valentine’s Day, Babs is making one thing clear: She’s the fun grandma, and she’s proving it with spiked chocolate-covered strawberries.
Whether you’re making a romantic dessert for two or celebrating Galentine’s Day with a boozy brunch, these festive shots will steal everyone’s hearts. In fact, they already have: Babs’s TikTok recipe has received over 2 million likes.
To make your own batch of these fun-filled Valentine’s treats, all you need are strawberries, gelatin, vanilla vodka (or your liquor of choice), and your favorite chocolate(s). Remember: The bigger the strawberries, the better!
How to Make Babs’s Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Shots
Start by turning your strawberries into miniature shot glasses. Leaving the stem on, cut a small section (about a quarter of the strawberry) off lengthwise. Then, take a spoon and carve out the center of your strawberry, forming a small crevice to hold your liquor.
When you’ve got all the strawberry bowls you can manage, it’s time to make your gelatin. Babs went with a clear gelatin packet, but you can opt for an extra-fruity shot by using a strawberry flavor. Once it’s cooled a bit, add your vanilla vodka. If you’re attempting a non-alcoholic version, you can flavor the gelatin with a tiny splash of vanilla extract instead. One commenter had an innovative idea to eliminate waste: “extra step. maybe take the removed strawberry and put it in the jello!?”
Babs uses a teaspoon to ladle the gelatin mixture into each strawberry, filling it to brim. She then pops them into the “refrige,” as she adorably calls it, for a few hours until they’re set.
You can check if your strawberries are ready by gently tapping the tops of each—they should be solid but still jiggly. If your gelatin hasn’t finished firming, you’ll probably notice it has a watery texture, or you may see ripples across the surface of your strawberries, indicating there’s still liquid inside.
Next comes the easiest part: Dipping your strawberries into melted chocolate. Babs chose white chocolate and dark chocolate, but there are no limitations. If you want to get extra fancy for you and your loved ones, combine the best of both worlds by dipping your strawberries into one chocolate and then drizzling them with the other. Like Babs, you can also mix in a bit of coconut oil here. This makes the chocolate glossy, rich, and perfectly smooth—the secret to professional-looking chocolate-covered strawberries.
You’ll need to put your strawberry shots in the “refridge” one last time to finish hardening the chocolate. Once it’s formed a cold shell around the fruit, your boozy treats are ready to serve. With these, the only heartbreak you’ll be suffering this Valentine’s Day is the regret of not making a second batch.
